Verbs

Question 1

Variable lexeme

Answer 1

Lexemes that have a number of different inflectional forms that are required or permitted in various grammatical contexts.
Example: lexeme fly -> flown, flew, flies

Question 2

Verb paradigm & (chart)

Answer 2

The set of inflectional forms of a variable lexeme (w/ grammatical labels)

Primary forms: preterite, 3SP, plain form

Secondary forms: plain form, gerund-participle, past participle

Question 3

3 clause constructions in which plain form is used

Answer 3

Imperative, subjunctive, infinitival

Question 4

Two main kinds of function of gerund-participle (rebate examples)

Answer 4

In Latin grammar, a gerund verb form is similar to noun. Participle is similar to adjective. English verb forms used both ways.

1a. She argued against [buying any more of them.] GP
1b. She argued against [any further purchases]. Noun
2a. People [earning $50,000 a year] don’t qualify for the rebate. GP
2b. [Moderately affluent] people don’t qualify for the rebate. Adj

Question 5

Two major constructions of past participle (Dallas to Brussels flight example).

Answer 5

Perfect and passive

1a. She has flown from Dallas. (perfect)
b. She may have flown to Brussels. (perfect)
2a. The Brussels-Dallas route is flown by only two airlines. (passive)
b. A route flown by only two airlines is bound to be expensive.

Question 6

Shape sharing between preterite and past participle

Answer 6

Use a substitution test: select a verb with distinct forms

Example: change walk with fly
Preterite= walked, flew
Past participle= walked, flown

Question 7

Shape sharing between plain present and plain form

Answer 7

Use a substitution test with be.

Present tense= write/writes/wrote, am/is/are
Plain form= write, be (no change to agree with subject in imperative, subjunctive, to-infinitival, bare infinitival

Question 8

Finite clause

Answer 8

Clause that is either headed by a primary verb form (Ed is careful), or is imperative (be careful), or is subjunctive (I insist that he be careful). Main clauses are always finite. Subordinate clauses may be finite or non-finite.

Question 9

Main clause

Answer 9

Normally, a clause that is not embedded as a dependent within some larger clause. A prototypical main clause can stand alone as a sentence (It is raining).

Question 10

Non-finite clause

Answer 10

Subordinate clause headed by a gerund-participle (his writing it), past participle (having written it), or plain form in the infinitival construction (to write it).

Question 11

Distinctive properties of auxiliary verbs

Answer 11

1. Subject-auxiliary inversion
   Aux verb inverts, lexical verb inserts dummy do
2. Negation (two types)
   A. Aux adds not, lexical adds dummy do
   B. Aux have negative inflectional form (n’t), lexical verbs don’t.

Question 12

Distinctive properties of modal auxiliaries

Answer 12

1. Lack of secondary inflectional form (plain, GP, PP uses same form). Contrast with have.
2. No distinct 3SP agreement form (I must, she must v. Have)
3. Prototypical modal takes a single complement with the form of bare infinitival clause (exception ought)

Question 13

4 dually-classified verbs

Answer 13

1. Do: dummy = aux (test with interrogative and negative forms)
2. Have: dynamic / lexical takes dummy do
3. Need: aux= bare infinitival complement, non-affirmative context
4. Dare: like need (bare inf, non-aff con).

Question 14

General definition of auxiliary verb

Answer 14

Small subclass of verbs whose members are characteristically used to mark tense, aspect, mood, or voice.

Question 15

Perfect v. Imperfective interpretations of clauses

Answer 15

Perfective= when a clause describes a situation that considers it as a whole, in totality, without reference to any internal temporal structure or subdivision it may have
ex. She wrote a novel.

Imperfective= when a clause describes a situation in a way that makes reference to its internal temporal structures or subdivisions
Ex. She was writing a novel.

Question 16

2 primary tenses and purposes

Answer 16

Present tense (plain present and 3SP)
Preterite

Present tense used for present time (perfective interpretation time of utterance , Imperfective interpretation for habits, etc.). Also used for future time (recurrent events in nature, events scheduled in advance). Also used for future time in subordinate clauses and “historic present” used in narratives.

Preterite used for past time, modal remoteness and backshift.

Question 17

Primary forms vs. secondary forms

Answer 17

Primary forms show inflectional distinctions of tense (Preterite v. Present) and can occur as the sole verb in a canonical clause.

Secondary forms have no tense inflection and cannot occur as the head of a canonical clause.

Question 18

Gerund
Participle

Traditionally and English

Answer 18

Gerund: verb form functionally similar to a noun

Participle: verb form functionally similar to adjective

English no form for separate uses but…

Gerund-participle: serves both functions

Ex:
she argued against buying any more of them.
She argued against any further purchases.
People earning $50000 a year don’t qualify for the rebate.
Moderately affluent people don’t qualify for the rebate.

Question 19

Present perfect and time adjuncts

Answer 19

Allows some time adjuncts referring to present, Preterite does not.
Ex. By now
Does not allow time adjuncts referring to past, Preterite does.
Ex. Yesterday

Question 20

Present perfect and current relevance

Answer 20

Pp indicates some current relevance, Preterite does not.

1. Past experience influence current status
2. Hot news
3. Concern is on present results of past events

Question 21

Uses of Preterite perfect

Answer 21

1.  Locate event relative to another
She had gone to bed.
2.  Modal remoteness
It would have been better if she had gone to bed.
3.  Backshift
You said she had gone to bed.

Question 22

Perfect in clauses without primary tense

Answer 22

Have in secondary form, serves to locate situation in past time

1. We believe her to have been in Bonn at the time.
2. Having reached an agreement yesterday, we don’t need to meet today.

Question 23

Aspect

Answer 23

A grammatical form or construction qualifies as an aspect if its main use is to indicate how the speaker views the situation described in the clause with respect not to its location in time but to its temporal structure or properties.

Question 24

Properties of progressive

Answer 24

1. Has duration, rather than instantaneous

2. Is dynamic, not static

Question 25

Progressive futurate

Answer 25

I’m seeing my broker today.

Question 26

Mood

Answer 26

Grammatical category associated with semantic dimension of modality.
Modality deals with two contrasts:
1. Factual v non-factual
2. Asserted v. Non-asserted